concern

Where does the word "concern" come from? It comes from Medieval Latin concernere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Concern’s story begins in Medieval Latin: concernere meant “to relate to, to regard.” To sift together, to relate to, from com- (together) and cernere (to sift, distinguish). It reached English by 1400s as concern. Settled as the English word for relating to or worrying about something. Today, concern means a feeling of worry, or a matter that relates to or affects someone.

1. Stage 1 · Medieval Latin · medieval concernere "to relate to, to regard", to sift together, to relate to, from com- (together) and cernere (to sift, distinguish).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s concern "to relate to something, or a feeling of worry", settled as the English word for relating to or worrying about something.